The Church complains that the media is obsessed with sexual abuse

Well, so is the Church itself. Why don’t people bother going to church anymore? Just read the whole thing. Yep, this is really an organization I want to be involved in:

“A day later, gathering my courage, I telephoned Brother Giles, explained my concerns, and asked why the girls couldn’t meet on the stage. An abstract, evasive explanation followed, tinged with bitterness, in which the word ‘bifurcation’ figured prominently. No two groups could meet in the same space at the same time, he said. An adult male organization, for example, couldn’t meet in the hall at the same time as the catechesis.

“I was still confused, so finally he said what he meant: Our girls couldn’t meet on the stage on Wednesday afternoons because of the possibility that they might molest the younger children.

“I was too stunned to make the obvious objections — the physical distance between the two groups; their entirely separate facilities; the intermediary presence of watchful adults. I simply blurted, ‘But Brother, some of those children are our girls’ younger brothers and sisters!’